By seven thirty, I was in the back of Detective Shaw\u2019s unmarked sedan on the way to the hospital.<\/p>\n
I had argued until she threatened to have an ambulance take me instead.<\/p>\n
That ended the discussion.<\/p>\n
Mr. Peterson remained behind with officers because detectives wanted a formal recorded statement.<\/p>\n
I watched familiar streets pass through the car window.<\/p>\n
Commuters waited at intersections.<\/p>\n
A woman jogged with a golden retriever.<\/p>\n
A school bus stopped beside a row of apartment buildings.<\/p>\n
People were beginning an ordinary Friday while investigators stood inside my bedroom photographing hidden sedatives.<\/p>\n
The contrast made me feel detached from everything.<\/p>\n
Shaw drove.<\/p>\n
Price sat in front beside her, speaking quietly into his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, April fourteenth. Check private ambulance contractors too.\u201d<\/p>\n
He listened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso transport companies that use medical-style vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Fraudulent markings possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Medical-style vehicle.<\/p>\n
Not an ambulance.<\/p>\n
A disguise.<\/p>\n
I thought of the woman beneath the blanket.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many times did he do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
No one answered immediately.<\/p>\n
Shaw looked at me through the mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many women were taken out of my house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Jennifer one of them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every answer was reasonable.<\/p>\n
Every answer felt unbearable.<\/p>\n
At the hospital, a forensic nurse met me in a private examination room.<\/p>\n
Detectives stayed outside.<\/p>\n
For the first time all night, I was alone with someone who was not asking me to solve the case.<\/p>\n
The nurse\u2019s name was Maya.<\/p>\n
She spoke quietly and explained each step before doing anything.<\/p>\n
Blood draw.<\/p>\n
Urine sample.<\/p>\n
Photographs of bruises.<\/p>\n
Swabs only with my permission.<\/p>\n
I nearly laughed when she said that word.<\/p>\n
Permission.<\/p>\n
Such a small thing.<\/p>\n
Such an enormous difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said. \u201cDo whatever you need.\u201d<\/p>\n
She corrected me gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever you choose.\u201d<\/p>\n
That almost made me cry.<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
She photographed the marks on my upper arm and behind my knee.<\/p>\n
Most were fading.<\/p>\n
One bruise near my shoulder was newer than I had realized.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAny tenderness?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA little.\u201d<\/p>\n
She measured it.<\/p>\n
Another small mark appeared near the inside of my elbow.<\/p>\n
It resembled an old needle puncture.<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould that be from anything else?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you had blood drawn recently?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInjections?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not speculate.<\/p>\n
She simply documented it.<\/p>\n
When the examination ended, she gave me clean clothes and a paper bag for what I had been wearing.<\/p>\n
I stared at the bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I have to give them my sweater?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly if investigators request it and you consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
That phrase had become automatic.<\/p>\n
Fine.<\/p>\n
Nothing was fine.<\/p>\n
I changed anyway.<\/p>\n
When I emerged, Shaw was waiting with coffee.<\/p>\n
I took it but did not drink.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they find him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFlight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo reservation under his name for Chicago this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had expected that.<\/p>\n
Still, hearing it made something sink inside me.<\/p>\n
The trip had been a lie.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about April fourteenth?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw hesitated.<\/p>\n
That meant they had something.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrice found a traffic camera image.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf the ambulance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA vehicle resembling one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cResembling?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhite transport van with removable medical markings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVisible.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heartbeat quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegistered to who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA company called Northstar Patient Logistics.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that real?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe listed address is a commercial building outside town.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho owns it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still tracing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDererick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw sat beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means corporate records don\u2019t put his name on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA phone number associated with the company appears in your copied client communications.\u201d<\/p>\n
For several seconds I said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s connected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do they do there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re finding out.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI might recognize something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you keep trying to insert yourself into an active investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that building may contain people who helped drug you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bluntness stopped me.<\/p>\n
Shaw lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand why you want to see everything with your own eyes. You have spent months being denied information about what was happening to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut going into an unknown location won\u2019t give you control back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat.<\/p>\n
That sentence stayed with me.<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, Price entered.<\/p>\n
He looked energized.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey got the car.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood again.<\/p>\n
\u201cDererick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAirport parking garage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChicago?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur airport.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was the car parked?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree twenty-eight.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was less than half an hour after I watched headlights leave our driveway.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe drove to the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen took another car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCameras?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re pulling footage.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mind returned to his message.<\/p>\n
He knew I was at Peterson\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Remote surveillance.<\/p>\n
Location sharing.<\/p>\n
He could have been anywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was in the car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRolling suitcase.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he wanted it to look like he traveled.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlack bag?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bag was with him.<\/p>\n
Camera.<\/p>\n
Samples.<\/p>\n
Notebook had stayed behind.<\/p>\n
Maybe by mistake.<\/p>\n
Maybe because the notebook was disposable and the bag was not.<\/p>\n
Price looked at Shaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthstar address checks out. Local unit is waiting on entry authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything on the company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRegistered eighteen months ago. Bare bones.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmployees?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo listed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNames?\u201d<\/p>\n
Price glanced at me.<\/p>\n
Shaw nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElaine Mercer and Thomas Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither name meant anything to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cElaine,\u201d I said. \u201cCould she be the woman Peterson saw?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhotos?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re getting them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Price handed Shaw his phone.<\/p>\n
She looked, then turned it toward me.<\/p>\n
The image showed a professional headshot from a licensing database.<\/p>\n
Dark shoulder-length hair.<\/p>\n
Mid-forties.<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeterson can look later.\u201d<\/p>\n
They continued talking.<\/p>\n
Search authority.<\/p>\n
Digital warrants.<\/p>\n
Vehicle records.<\/p>\n
The words blurred together.<\/p>\n
Then Price\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
He answered.<\/p>\n
Listened.<\/p>\n
His entire posture changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSlow down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He held up one finger.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t touch anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
Price ended the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re inside Northstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d Shaw asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cProperty manager consented to common areas. Exterior office door was unsecured. They stopped pending warrant once they saw equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat equipment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood again.<\/p>\n
Price looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeds.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least four.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gripped the back of a chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cHospital beds?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdjustable procedure beds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCameras.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike Dererick\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one found so far.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing reported.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved toward the door.<\/p>\n
She blocked me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me what they find.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will tell you what I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
They left me with an officer.<\/p>\n
The next two hours were among the longest of my life.<\/p>\n
Clare arrived before nine.<\/p>\n
I had finally called her from the hospital and told her only enough to make her come without questions.<\/p>\n
She entered the waiting room still wearing navy scrubs under a winter coat.<\/p>\n
The moment she saw me, her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
She crossed the room and held me.<\/p>\n
For several seconds I could not speak.<\/p>\n
Then I told her.<\/p>\n
Not everything at once.<\/p>\n
Pieces.<\/p>\n
The tea.<\/p>\n
The photographs.<\/p>\n
The folders.<\/p>\n
The hidden medication.<\/p>\n
Jennifer.<\/p>\n
Patricia.<\/p>\n
The fake ambulance.<\/p>\n
Clare sat beside me afterward with both hands wrapped around mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew something was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe phone call.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said I sounded drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t just sound drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kept saying you couldn\u2019t move.\u201d<\/p>\n
A chill moved through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said your arms were heavy.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had no memory of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked me to stay on the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did. The next morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You said I called and sounded half asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause when I told you the rest, you laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI laughed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you must have been dreaming.\u201d<\/p>\n
My own voice seemed to disappear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She squeezed my hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou also said Dererick was downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
That detail hit me hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou whispered it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly did I say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said, \u2018He thinks I\u2019m asleep.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The hospital waiting room seemed to tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t that scare you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClare\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDererick answered.\u201d<\/p>\n
My blood went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you were having a bad reaction to cold medicine. He sounded completely normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course he had.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you were sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you speak to me again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned my forehead against our joined hands.<\/p>\n
Dererick had been controlling the story long before I understood there was one.<\/p>\n
At eleven fifteen, Detective Shaw returned.<\/p>\n
I knew immediately something had changed.<\/p>\n
She asked Clare to stay if I wanted.<\/p>\n
I said yes.<\/p>\n
Shaw sat across from us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found records at Northstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatient-style intake files.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatients?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the label.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNames?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome real. Some coded.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare made a small sound beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna, I can\u2019t give you every evidentiary detail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me what matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw nodded once.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour file lists multiple visits.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seven.<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDates correspond with periods when you reported memory gaps.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never went there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may not remember being transported.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
The fake ambulance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas April fourteenth one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Clare.<\/p>\n
She covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know completely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGraduation?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw did not answer.<\/p>\n
That was answer enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found a document titled Graduation Protocol.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every muscle in my body tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on the written material, it appears to be the final stage of a process involving prolonged drug conditioning, staged incapacitation, photographic documentation, and transfer of a victim away from familiar surroundings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTransfer where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe protocol doesn\u2019t specify one place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cControl.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word landed quietly.<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictims were made dependent, disoriented and easier to manipulate. Their disappearance could then be framed as voluntary, medical, psychiatric or accidental depending on the individual circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare\u2019s grip tightened around my hand.<\/p>\n
I could barely speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cJennifer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe graduated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw\u2019s silence answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found a code beside her name indicating completion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatricia?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer record indicates the process was terminated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo reason listed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMichelle?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompleted.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became very quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw held my gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cScheduled.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not answer immediately.<\/p>\n
I already knew.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word seemed to erase every sound in the room.<\/p>\n
Not next week.<\/p>\n
Not soon.<\/p>\n
Tonight.<\/p>\n
Dererick had accelerated the schedule because I had begun refusing the tea.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was supposed to happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour record lists a transport window shortly after midnight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTransport to Northstar?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe destination field is coded.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you decode it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was supposed to transport me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthstar vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fake ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDererick knew I was suspicious. Why wait until tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the plan apparently required you to appear functional today.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour record includes instructions for normal daytime activity before final sedation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cruelty of it stunned me.<\/p>\n
He expected me to wake up.<\/p>\n
Work.<\/p>\n
Answer messages.<\/p>\n
Perhaps speak to Clare.<\/p>\n
Maybe eat dinner with him.<\/p>\n
Then drink one final cup of tea.<\/p>\n
My disappearance would begin from a day that looked perfectly ordinary.<\/p>\n
Shaw\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
She answered.<\/p>\n
Listened.<\/p>\n
Her expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecure it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo contact until we identify.\u201d<\/p>\n
She ended the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found another room at Northstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat room?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStorage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonal belongings.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the women?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIDs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClothing. Phones. Jewelry. Luggage.\u201d<\/p>\n
A life reduced to objects on shelves.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything from Jennifer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer suitcase.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Her belongings had supposedly been left behind in a hotel.<\/p>\n
Yet another suitcase carrying her name had been stored at Northstar.<\/p>\n
That meant someone had constructed the appearance of her disappearance.<\/p>\n
And whoever did it had kept part of the truth.<\/p>\n
Shaw\u2019s phone buzzed again.<\/p>\n
A message.<\/p>\n
She read it.<\/p>\n
Then looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAirport cameras located Dererick.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart slammed against my ribs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe entered the terminal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFlight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe walked through arrivals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArrivals?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe met someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re identifying her now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her.<\/p>\n
A woman.<\/p>\n
For a second I thought of Elaine Mercer.<\/p>\n
Then Shaw received the photograph.<\/p>\n
She enlarged it.<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned the phone toward me.<\/p>\n
The surveillance image was grainy, taken from above.<\/p>\n
Dererick stood near an airport exit carrying the black bag.<\/p>\n
Beside him was a thin woman in a dark coat.<\/p>\n
Her face was turned partly upward.<\/p>\n
I knew her immediately.<\/p>\n
I had seen her dozens of times on his laptop.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Collins.<\/p>\n
The missing woman.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
Standing beside my husband.<\/p>\n
By seven thirty, I was in the back of Detective Shaw\u2019s unmarked sedan on the way to the hospital. I had argued until she threatened to have an ambulance take … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13648"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13672,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13648\/revisions\/13672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}